Macbeth Project

Adam Magnone and Lena LeGere

Friend monologue (to audience): My dearest friend Lady Macbeth has been villainous lately. Her
presence as she walks into a room is cold and unseen. I’m astonished at the murders that she has
been connected to in the recent times. Her confessions have me sworn to secrecy not to tell anyone
of the crimes she has committed. Convincing her husband, Macbeth, to commit such acts makes her as equally guilty as him. Although she has not physically murdered anyone her verbal commands to kill are heard throughout the mind of her husband. I can no longer bear the weight of the murderous confession that Lady Macbeth has told me. As her dearest and closest friend I have always been by her side, but with this situation I fear I must go against her.
The first murder of King Duncan came with such a shock. Macbeth was not confident and showed signs of weakness when it came to standing up for himself. Lady Macbeth told me that Macbeth had ambition and wanted greatness but lacked the ruthlessness that was needed. Lady Macbeth showed power and strength with her pursuance to murder. She strived for her and her husband to be the rulers of Scotland. Lady Macbeth began to think evil thoughts even expressing to me her desire to rid her of the natural tenderness of her sex and fill her from head to toe with direst cruelty. I didn’t think Macbeth would commit such a crime after faltering with the plan to kill Duncan. At one point Lady Macbeth needed to finish the task by framing the guards with smeared blood and placing the daggers in their hands. After the murder was complete Macbeth immediately felt guilty. Hallucinations crept into Macbeth’s fragile mind when he imagined the guards saw him kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth reassured Macbeth that everything was going to be okay, to just go to bed and don’t get lost in thought. I overheard Lady Macbeth telling Macbeth to, “Look like the innocent flower, but be the snake that’s lying under it.”
I feel that Lady Macbeth is just as responsible for the murder of Duncan. I believe that Lady Macbeth knows that she is just as responsible. Her actions have still shown strength but internally she was weakening. At the state banquet Macbeth started to make a scene. He was talking to an unseen person as if he were talking to himself. Lady Macbeth came to Macbeth’s side to relieve the situation. She told the guests that he had a problem since childhood where he would throw raging fits and to please ignore him so his fit would not be extended. As the guests continued to question Macbeth’s unusual behaviors Lady Macbeth miraculously fainted to put the attention on her. Later that evening after the festivities were complete, Lady Macbeth and I talked. She revealed to me the true reason why Macbeth acted the way he did at the night’s banquet. She told me about how she and Macbeth decided to kill Duncan for the crown and Macbeth set up the murder of his best friend Banquo. Macbeth had seen Banquo’s ghost sitting in his seat that night. I could not believe what I heard and I was quick to put the responsibility of Macbeth’s actions in the hands of Lady Macbeth.
I have visited the castle in the past weeks and have discovered the gloomy tone of the castle with Macbeth becoming less remorseful and Lady Macbeth suffering from the ailments of guilt. I am saddened to say that I feel no sympathy for what Lady Macbeth is suffering from. She initiated Macbeth’s deadly murderous path. Macbeth had decided the night of Duncan’s murder that Duncan did not deserve to die, but Lady Macbeth called him a coward saying he was, “like the poor cat in the proverb that wanted to fish but wouldn’t get its feet wet.” By testing his manhood Macbeth succumbed Lady Macbeth’s pressure. Lady Macbeth has been the catalyst to these murders and she is to blame.
I have watched my friend deteriorate and have heard from the chambermaid of the drastic changes to her behavior in the previous weeks. She has begun sleepwalking and talking in her sleep revealing the plans of the murders. I am not shocked to hear the fall of her strength and the rise of her devastation. She has been in danger of harming herself and others, so I will have no regret saying how I am glad our friendship will no longer continue due to her death via suicide. My reputation was at stake while I was connected to such evil, bloody tyrants. I have now cleansed by mind of secret sins committed by others and entrusted in me. I am now able to move on with my life away from this damaged castle.

3 hour block #2

Today was another 3 hour block to work on our rough draft. Once again 3 hours is a very long time to just sit and type but in the end i got a lot of work done. My paper is close to complete with maybe one or two more simple quick body paragraphs and the the final conclusion. So far my paper is 8 pages and growing but I feel its mixed opinion and factual which keeps it interesting. I will wrap up the rest of my paper this week at home and be ready to turn it in on Friday.

More Writing

Today we had a sub which was unexpected because Mrs. Lib is always here. But despite the sub I still managed to get a whole other page typed which is really good. With the 3 hour block of work coming up I should be able to wrap up the rest of the rough draft complete and have the rest of the week to revise and put the finishing touches on.

Body Paragraphs

Today I made huge progress on my paper and was focused the whole class with ideas fitting together. I managed to write a whole page today which I was surprised to see in such short time. I already have 3 full pages complete and have started my fourth. I'm still working on the problem paragraphs and looking to start my solution paragraphs soon. The 3 hour block will be great to finish and revise everything.

Continuing to Write

Today I wrote several problem paragraphs with a lot of detail. I used one of my sources about fixing a failing high school that was published in the Daily Gazette about Schenectady High School. I thought this was a great source to use in the beginning of my paper because it involves the whole purpose of my paper which is alternative education here at the High School. I already have 2 whole pages of writing done which went by so fast after the thoughts just started flowing. In the next few classes hopefully my essay gets wrapped up.

New Source and 1st Body

Over the weekend I came across an article on the district homepage about the Smart Scholars Early College High School program. At first I didn't think the article was going to be useful but once I read into the article more I visioned in my mind where I could incorporate the article in my solution paragraphs for alternative education. I also started my first body problems paragraph. I feel my intro is pretty good and am happy they way it turned out.




Here is my intro...

Imagine a school where the students are respectful, focused, and disciplined to achieve the best education they can receive. This type of school is not the type of academic environment offered at Schenectady High School. Schenectady High School has a majority of the students doing the right thing in and outside the classroom. However, there are specific students that are distracting, unfocused, disrespectful and much more not only to themselves but to teachers and surrounding students trying to do the right thing. These specific students need to start spending more time in the classroom academically and less time causing issues that are distracting to others. The ones that are doing the right thing are the ones that suffer the most by having to stop a lesson for the teacher to discipline a student. The academic environment is disrupted by specific students and those students are in need of an alternative education where they are taught in a nontraditional classroom setting away from the rest of the student body.

Start of Writing

Today was the day that I have been preparing for with research and finding sources. I established a solid thesis at the beginning of class and used that to write my hook and rest of the intro paragraph. I think im going to make a quick simple survey just to get other opinions on what students think are distracting in shcools. I think Im going to work on that tomorrow and then start writing my body paragraphs.